The RMLS™ Rules and Regulations Committee has requested that periodic reports are given to subscribers about the number and types of formal rules violations, along with information about informal violations and courtesy notifications by type. Read “If a RMLS™ Rule is Broken, What Happens?” for a deeper explanation.
Have you ever spotted something wrong in a property listing on RMLSweb? The Data Accuracy team is responsible for sorting things out whenever a RMLS™ subscriber contacts us—whether that is via the “Report Issue” button on a listing, by email, or contacting us directly by phone. In September 2019 our team handled 232 phone calls.
We track 32 specific issues in Listing Data Checker (LDC), the software that helps us spot and correct issues proactively. Six of these are courtesy notifications, but the other 24 are informal violations of the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations. In addition to our focus on education we also process formal violations throughout the year.
HOT TOPICS
Did you know our system sends out courtesy notices? The two main courtesy notices are sent to help remind sellers’ agents about their listings that are set to expire within ten days or their listings that have remained in pending (PEN) status for over 90 days. If you receive a courtesy notice about one of your listings, take a look and see if that listing needs to be updated in RMLSweb. If the information provided is correct, then no action is needed. If you have any questions regarding a courtesy notice simply reply to the email and Data Accuracy will be happy to help answer your questions.
FORMAL VIOLATIONS
The RMLS™ Rules and Regulations Committee reviews all formal complaints which allege a violation of the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations. The committee has the power to impose sanctions.
The committee reviewed two formal violations at the September meeting. The violations were both for misuse of a lockbox and a total of $1,600.00 in fines were levied.
- 5.1L Unauthorized Use of a Lockbox: An agent entered a listing that was in PEN status.
- 5.1L Unauthorized Use of a Lockbox: Buyer’s agent provided a lockbox code to their buyer.
INFORMAL VIOLATIONS
In September 2019, RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff reviewed 21,445 listings in addition to the 469 notices sent through “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,336 violation notices and 2,433 courtesy notices were sent out.
Category |
September |
Missing Tax ID |
464 |
Personal Promotion |
129 |
Missing School |
93 |
Incorrect or Missing Information |
82 |
Year Built |
80 |
Duplicate Listing |
51 |
Missing Owner Name |
28 |
No Showings |
25 |
Listing Input in Incorrect MLS Area |
19 |
Missing or Incorrect 1st Photo |
18 |
Is Property a Condo |
12 |
Conditions to Compensation |
11 |
Missing Condo Unit Number |
11 |
Inaccurate Lot Size |
8 |
Duplicate Listing in Different Categories |
8 |
Partial Bathrooms Greater than Five |
6 |
City Unknown |
5 |
Duplicate Listing Different Listing Agent |
1 |
Is Listing a Short Sale? |
1 |
Following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS™ subscribers in September 2019:
Category |
September |
Listing Still Pending |
401 |
Multiple Owner Names in First Field |
359 |
Listing is Set to Expire |
272 |
New Listing Input Over 24 Hours |
80 |
When we notice an uptick in a specific type of violation (perhaps a rule recently changed or market conditions lead to an increase in a certain type of issue) we may also put a notification up on RMLSweb, educating subscribers before one of their listings gets flagged and we need to contact them.
RMLS™ Data Accuracy can be reached via email or by phone at (503) 236-7657 if you ever have questions about the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations, if you wonder whether a specific listing has inaccurate data, or if you want to chat with us more about the above information.